Pages

Thursday, July 18, 2013

It isn't clear how it began. But I'm totally calling it genetic, as my sister is seriously awesome at it as well. For as long as I can remember, my sister and I have been quite skilled at eye-rolling. That ever-so-mature response when something or someone annoys you.

This response has many triggers, one of which is recipes touting super special "secret" ingredients. Like the avocado in that brownie. Or the kale in that smoothie.

And now I'm rolling my eyes at myself. Because I am here to explain the secret ingredient of rice bowls. And noodle bowls, for that matter.

The secret is the bowl. It doesn't matter what bowl it is. It just has to be a bowl.

Lets all be honest. Rice and noodle bowls are pretty trendy. But I would argue, that they are trendy for good reason. If the content of these bowls were served on plates, and called "here is a plate of noodles with stuff" or "here is a plate of rice with stuff," I'm pretty sure none of us would get excited about it. We would all be like, "Oh, isn't this basically like going to a buffet and placing heaping piles of random stuff all on one plate."And we would all be basically correct.I am still working on gathering evidence for my theory, but I'm pretty sure that bowls have invisible tiny fans scattering delicious invisible taste enhancing seasonings over the contents of the bowl. It will take me some time to figure out how to test this. Science is not my strong suit.But somehow piling seemingly random concoctions in a bowl makes total sense. Here, zingy carrots, with stir-fried asparagus and mushrooms, and the earthiness from the tahini chicken, sprinkled with some parsley and scallions and a drizzle of sesame oil, all work together. I may be rolling my eyes at myself, but at least I am enjoying a yummy dinner while doing so.

InstructionsTo make the carrots: Place carrots in small bowl. Whisk the oils and vinegar together, and pour over the carrots. I like doing this ahead of time.

To make the stir-fry: In a small bowl, stir soy sauce, oyster sauce, and honey. Heat canola oil in wok or saute pan on high. Add asparagus and mushrooms. Cook for 2 minutes, and add the ginger, garlic, and jalapeno. Turn heat to medium-low. Once the garlic has cooked, add the soy sauce mixture.

To make the chicken: Sprinkle salt and pepper liberally on both sides of the chicken. Heat canola oil in a skillet on high. Get each side nice and brown (about 3 minutes each side). Turn heat to low to finish cooking (if needed). Stir together tahini, yogurt, chile paste, honey, soy sauce, and lime juice. Chop the chicken, and toss with the tahini mixture.

To assemble the rice bowl: Scoop some rice into a bowl. Place a few scoops of the stir fry on top of one section of the rice. Place some tahini chicken on another section. Place the carrots on top. Scatter chopped scallions and parsley on top. Drizzle the whole thing with sesame oil.

13 comments:

I never thought about it before but you're right, certain foods do taste better in bowls. It must be the same mind-trick that makes champagne taste fabulous in thin flutes (as opposed to thick-rimmed cups). :P

Now I have something to ponder during the heat wave. Thank you. :D And thanks for making me hungrier! (It's too hot to cook.)

I roll my eyes at those "cake mix" recipes where people are like, "Oh, just mix a can of pineapple with a box of angel food mix, and it's so healthy and has no sugar." For reals, they say it has no sugar.

But I don't think bowls are going anywhere! This is so pretty and looks so yummy!

We showcase Mouthwatering Collection of World's Best Recipes to our readers daily and would like to invite you to join our food community and let you to feature your best recipes on our website. Want to know more? Please Visit http://recipesgawker.com/